September 2011
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Today I’m at a symposium about cutting edge stem cell therapies. I have learned so much amazing stuff.
I have also seen some of the worst PowerPoint slides in the history of PowerPoint slides.
Oh, fellow scientists … we need to talk about this.
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Organic farms shown to be more productive than... →
A 30-year study by the Rodale Institute (disclaimer: It’s an organic research institute) found that the return per acre of organic farms was almost three times that of conventional farms, and yields were higher for organic crops in drought years.
Part of the gain comes from the premium prices paid for organic goods, but there’s still very meaningful advantages to farming organic:
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Bjorn Lomborg, semi-former climate skeptic, loses... →
The economist is set to lose funding from the Danish government due to what they call his “ideological” focus on problem solving.
He is well-known for his skepticism on the severity of climate change effect models, instead suggesting that governments learn to adapt to changing climate instead of preventing it. Recently, though, he seemed to change his tune, agreeing that the world was...
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shmianshmeefer asked: Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?
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WatchWhat, If Anything, Is Big Bird?
Where the big yellow bird fits into the Tree of Life. Yes, seriously. Kind of.
(via Discover Magazine)
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Joke I heard yesterday:
"We don't serve neutrinos in here"
A neutrino walks into a bar.
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The Neuroscience of Beauty →
theatlantic:
The notion of “the aesthetic” is a concept from the philosophy of art of the 18th century according to which the perception of beauty occurs by means of a special process distinct from the appraisal of ordinary objects. Hence, our appreciation of a sublime painting is presumed to be cognitively distinct from our appreciation of, say, an apple. The field of “neuroaesthetics” has...
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threezerooo asked: Since you posted about music,I have a question. It's been told to me that music has originated from language and as a corollary a "primordial" way to communicate. If this is correct can you speculate on why it has such a profound effect on us,and where it might be headed in the future.(although I dont think anything will outdo the guitar or drums ever) . Oh yeah! What do scientists...
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ikenbot asked: If you could sit with one of your favorite scientists for one day to hang & chat, who would it be and what would you do?
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behindtheecologist-deactivated2 asked: just wanted to thank you for always being on top of new sexy things in science...i usually find my questions answered here.
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eillipses asked: Hello, I was wondering if you know anything about anaphylaxis. Are there any candidates for a viable "cure", or at least a treatment? Is there any good research being done out there? Sometimes, amid the HIV and cancer and other (worthy) causes, anaphylaxis seems to go a bit unnoticed. Thanks! (Great blog, I'm learning plenty. Keep up the good work, sir. :D )
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Last Friday: BoingBoing puts up a post about a hilarious “bearded scientists” paper from the 1960’s, complete with LOL-tastic pictures.
Today: I remind you of my much funnier write-up of the same paper, from earlier this year on the LabSpaces guest blog. “On Beards, Biology, and Being a Real American”
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“Today’s scientific question is: What in the world is electricity? And where does...”
– Dave Barry, “What is Electricity?” (via bsdfortunes)
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practiceart asked: is there a vaccine for my immunity to my lover's oxytocin yet? I want to be in puppy love again ;)
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“If we’re going to out-innovate and out-educate the rest of the world, we’ve got...”
– First Lady Michelle Obama
Fact: Women earn 41% of STEM Ph.D.s but only hold 28% of tenure-track faculty positions in those fields. We can do better. I’m inspired by the comments, excitement and interests of my female followers every day.
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WatchThe Enigma Machine Explained
Simon Singh explores one of the most advanced coding machines of the 20th century, the Nazis’ Enigma Machine. It was a typewriter-ish machine used to code communications, and was pretty revolutionary in its methods.
But it also had some fatal flaws.
(via World Science Festival)
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